Brain Leaf
Few would believe that of all the enemies Mankind faced, a greyish vine-like plans could pose such an insidious threat. Variously referred to as a "Slave Vine" or "The Grey Weed", but most commonly the "Brain Leaf", this malignant creature was once thought to originate from the jungle world of Catachan. in Physical Form, the Brain Leaf plant resembles a coarse Vine or Ivy, each tendril of which possesses a form of gestalt consciousness and each Leaf is a macro-cell forming part of its utterly alien intelligence. The underside of each vine leaf is barbed to latch onto creatures straying too close, and once attached to a victim, microscopic fibre bundles penetrate the skin and extrude fibrous growths throughout the victim's nervous system to take control if its body utterly. Though not sentient in any measurable sense, the Brain Leaf effeciently and swiftly dominates its victim, subverting it to the will of the parent plant. Once this has accomplished, the leaf detached from the main body and remains as an attached parasite on the victim allowing a new leaf to rapidly grow in its place. The victim now a staggering Thrall to the Brain Leaf plant is used by the weed to protect itself and proliferateits young . Infestations of the Brain Leaf have been discovered on many worlds and recent emergent evidence is that the Brain Leaf is no true native to Catachsn, but likely a rogue mutations and evolutionary descendant of the Tyranid Cortex Leech, makes the destruction of any infestations a priority for many in the Ordo Xenos Secundus. The Horrors visited on members of the sector's nobility during the infamous "Slaughter Gardens of Quaddis" incident several years ago have emphasised the need to prevent the spawning and multiplication of this foul vine. The Brain Leaf Plant The vine is most encountered wrapped parasitically around another large plant or tree, or crawling across the face of some statue or edifice and varies in size according to maturity. Some of the Brain Leaf's Characteristics vary according to how much it has grown and there are three levels of growth listed here: Immature, Mature and Ancient. . Brain Leaf - Immature Movement: - Wounds: 6 Brain Leaf - Mature Movement: - Wounds: 20 Brain Leaf - Ancient Movement: - Wounds: 40 Traits: Limited Actions+, Size(Scrawny for Immature, Average for Mature, Hulking for Ancient), Strange physiology, taking control++ +Limited Actions: The only Action a Brain Leaf may preform is an attempt to latch on to a victim within half a metre of one of its leaves. ++Taking Control: A Brain Leaf's victim is nearly always unaware of the danger he is in and had a single chance to feel the prick of the Leaf's barbs and rip it off before it is too late. A resilient, dealed covering over the victim's head and neck(sufficient to provide 2AP) can protect against an attack. At the moment that a leaf makes contact, the target must succeed on an Agility Test or the Leaf latches on and rapidly begins to subvert the Victim's nervous system causing the Victim to fall prone and twitch. It takes 1D10 minutes to infiltrate the victim's nervous system fully and if the leaf is removed during this time, the victim recovers consciousness but loses 1D10 points permanently from Toughness and gains 1D10 Insanity Points. Unless the process is stopped, after the required time has passed, the victim becomes a Brain Leaf Thrall. Brain Leaf Thrall Thralls of the Brain Leaf are completely under the control of the malign plant, turning them into nerve-damaged, drooling, twitching shamblers. Modify the Characteristics as follows. Where a "---" is listed, it indicates the creature loses this Characteristic and can no longer take or fail tests based on it. Wounds: Half Skills, Talents and Powers: The Thrall loses all Skills, Talents and Psychic Powers whilst enthralled. All Thralls gain the Fearless talent. They react sluggishly; their only evident behavious is to stand sentry over their parent plant, hurling themselves spasmodically against anything threatening it. Recovering from Thralldom:''' Should the Leaf be ripped from the Thrall, the Thrall immedietly lets out a horrific scream of agony and collapses unconscious, as the severing of the plant's control causes a massive trauma to the victim's nervous system/ Once the leaf is removed the Thrall must pass a Toughness Test or die. If he survives he recovers but retains the reduction of Weapon Skill, Ballistic Skill, Toughness, Agility and Perception as permant Characteristic Damage. The released Thrall also gains 3D10 Insanity points. '''Threat Rating: Xenos Minoris. Category:Animals